- The Easter bonnet was introduced by Irving Berlin a famous composer who used the Easter Parade in New York as point of reference in his musical composition. During the Depression a new or old hat during Easter was a luxury that many women indulged in. The trend of new clothes at Easter in the sixteenth century included an Easter bonnet or hat on a woman's head. An Easter bonnet is a hat that women and girls wear to Easter services at church and in the parade following services in some communities. Often women purchased unusual and extravagant hats that really were quite fashionable. The Easter parade began around 1870 in New York City.
- In many Easter parades that took place after Easter church services it was popular to be seen in new Easter attire. This meant that many ladies and girls bought and wore the new hats in the parade. The hats were often large decorated with ribbons, flowers, and even lace. They were all different colors too. The Easter bonnet was usually round to symbolize the shape of sun and the earth's orbit around it.
- The Easter Parade in New York City does not have much organization to it. Every Easter Sunday Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th street in New York City is closed to traffic for several hours while people stroll through the streets. Anyone that wants to participate can. There are street musicians, food vendors and ordinary people dressed in Easter attire. Many people are dressed in new Easter clothes with hats and bonnets of various types and sizes. Some men even wear Easter hats for the parade. There are pink and white bunny ears, round straw hat decorated with flowers, bunnies, eggs and other many other decorations.
- Bonnets once used to mean men's headwear. In the eighteenth century it meant a large frilly hat worn by nobles. It was made of lace or velvet and very frilly. The end of the eighteenth century bonnets took on a round shape with a brim that jutted out at the forehead. In nineteenth century a bonnet meant women's head covering worn outside to cover the hair. Easter was the time of year to first wear a summer bonnet usually made of straw. There was a distinction between upper class women's bonnet and the lower class. Slat bonnets were worn by rural women featuring a shallow brim. Poke bonnets worn by wealthier women had wide brims and were trimmed by ribbons, frills or flowers.
- Today Easter bonnets can be bought at your local store or even online. You can visit a craft store and add different elements to a hat to design your own. Many people in the New York Easter parade design their own hats. You can design Easter hats with kids as a fun way to celebrate the holiday. If you decide to buy an Easter hat or bonnet shop around. You can get some great buys in second hand store if you don't want to purchase a new one. In fact thrift store are great places to buy bonnets you want to decorate yourself for Easter. Any craft store will have great things to add to your Easter hat such as silk flowers, lace ribbons, small birds, among other possibilities. You can even add something to a hat you have worn on another occasion. An Easter bonnet is a fun fashionable tradition for women and girls to experience on the Easter holiday.
